Stave-cutting machine.



PATENTBD APR. 23, 1907.

L. L. PRIERSON.

STAVE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

I M I.

Iufer 15129729020,

No. 851,412. PATBNTED APR. 23, 1907,

L. L. PRIERSON.

STAVE CUTTING MACHINE. APPLIOATION IILE D MAY 26, 1905.

LUTHER L. FRIERSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STAVE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed May 26,1905. Serial No. 262,525.

To all wlwm, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER L. FRIERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stave-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stave cutting machines.

I will describe my improvements in connection with that type of stave cutting machines which simultaneously equalize, chamfer and croze the stave while it is being cut or sliced from the stave bolt or stock.

A machine involving my invention is simple in construction and effective in action.

The machine has other advantages which will be fully set out in the following description, while the novel features of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding said description.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, 1 illustrate a simple form of embodiment involving my invention, which I will describe in. detail, and in said drawings: v

Figure 1 is a cross sectional elevation of said machine. Fig. 2 .is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front view of a knifebar. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of a shimming knife, and Fig. 5 is a similar View of a crozing and chamfering knife, both hereinafter more particularly described. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the cutting mechanism, which includes all the knives. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the character of work performed by the cutting mechanism. Fig. 8 is a modified form of cutter, in which is combinedin the one piece, a chamfering and crozing knife and a bolt shimming knife. Fig. 9 is a view of the cutting edge of the combined chamfering and crozing and bolt shimming cutter shown in the preceding figure. edge view of said cutter. Fig. 11 is a cross sectional View showing a modified construc tion hereinafter described.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout all the figures.

As will be hereinafter apparent, my stave cutting machine has a main cutter for cutting, crozing and chamfering a stave and what I term a bolt stub cutter or an auxiliary cutter for separating the stub from the bolt beyond the end of said stave. This auxiliary or bolt stub cutter is located at one Fig. 10 is an upper- 7 two end portions 11.

end of and its cutting portion is substantially in the same plane as the cutting portion of the main cutter, or, as I also term it, the bolt stub cutter has the same perpendicular curvature as the main cutter.

The different parts of the machine may be supported in any suitable way. For this purpose I have represented a framework, denoted in a general way by 2, and which it is unnecessary to describe in detail. Between the end members of the framework 2 are rigidly mounted in some desirable way the bars 3 and 4 which carry the different knives. The stock or bolt from which the staves are cut is adapted to be supported by a table, as 5. The table 5 is represented as a pivotally mounted tumbler.

In a contemporaneously pending application, serially numbered 256,582 filed April 20, 1905 I have illustrated a tumbler of novel formation, the same being illustrated in part in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The said improved tumbler is provided with wooden supporting means, which I will denote in a general way by 6, at or near its free or outer edge, upon which the main and auxiliary knives are adapted to strike, but at different levels, the main knife striking the said wooden support ing means at a higher level than the auxiliary knives. This feature of the case however need not be described in detail herein, for it is fully set forth and claimed in the contempoi-aneously pending application alluded to.

The cutting mechanism, shown clearly in Fig. 6, involves what might be considered a main cutter, which I will denote in a general way by 7, and auxiliary cutters 8 and 9. There are two auxiliary cutters S and two auxiliary cutters 9, they operating at opposite ends of the stock. The cutters S and 9 take the place of the ordinary shinnning or rib removing cutters to which I have hereinbefore briefly referred. The main cutter 7 is composed of an intermediate portion 10 and The end portions or knives 11 croze and chamfer the stave, and are there fore considered as crozing and charm fering knives, but constitute a portion of the main cutter, which main cutter cuts or slices the stave from the stock or bolt.

The mounting of the bar 3, which constitutes a support for the main cutter 7 and the auxiliary 8, need not be described in detail, for it forms no part of the invention. The intermediate portion 10 of the main cutter fits against the front face of the knife-bar 3 and is rigidly held thereupon by several bolts, each denoted by 12; see Fig. 2, for example. The upper edge of the said intermediate knife 10 rests against a shoulder, as 13, on said knife-bar 3. Screws, as 14, tapped through the knife-bar provide for tipping the chamfering and crozing knives 1 1 and the auxiliary knives 8 so as to get their cutting edges in proper relation to the cutting edge of the cut ter or knife 10. and each, as will be understood, engages one of the four knives, that is, there are two chamfering and crozing knives and two auxiliary knives. The crozing and chamfering knives 11 form continuations of the knife 10, and they fit in apertures, as 15, in the front face of the knife-bar 3; see Fig. 3. The auxiliary knives 8 also fit in these apertures 15. The auxiliary knives 9, as will hereinafter appear, are carried upon the upper flange of the bar 4, Which is substantially of inverted L shape in cross section and which is rigidly mounted between the end members of the framing 2. The chamfering and crozing knives 11 and the knives 8 have vertical slots, and bolts pass through these slots and also through longitudinal slots 17; (see Fig. 3 for example) in the knife-bar. There are two sets of these bolts for holding the chamfering and crozing knives l1 and auxiliary knives 8 to the knifebar, one set being located on each side of the machine and being the same as that on the other. The innermost bolt of each set is designated by 16, the next by 16 the next by 16 and the final one by 16 By reason of the vertical slots in the knives 8 and 11, they can be vertically adjusted so as to bring their cutting edges into coincidence with each other, as well as with the knife 10. The two sets of bolts 16 16*, 16 and 16 as will be understood, pass through the longitudinal slots 17, so that different width ohamfering and crozing knives can be put on the machine. The slots 17 also provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the knives 8. In other words the knives 8 can be moved inward and outward to accommodate themselves to different width chamfering and crozing knives.

Upon the knife-bar 3, above the crozing and chamfering knives 11 and the knives 8, are lugs 18, through which are tapped two duplicate sets of set-screws, those in each set being designated respectively by 19 19 19 and 19 bear upon the upper edges of the crozing and chamfering knives 11, while the set-screws 19 and 19 bear against the upper edges of the auxiliary knives 8. These set-screws prevent the knives 8 and 11 being forced upward by the blow of the stave bolt during the cutting operation. It is essential that the points of the inner edges of the chamfering and crozing knives bear firmly against the points of the opposite edges of the intermecomplished in an effective manner.

There are four screws 14,.

The set-screws 19 and 19 diate knife 10, in order to prevent these knives being forced apart because of the heavy work and jar to which they are subjected in action. By means of the bolts 16 and 16 and set-screws 19 and 19, this can be ac- By partially tightening the bolts 16" and then running down the set-screws 19, and finally firmly running down the set-screws 19 this result can be advantageously brought about. In the operation described the bolts 16 serve as fulcrums and the set-screws 19 as levers, so that the several knives 10 and 11 are brought point to point in an accurate manner, in order to present practically a continuous structure. After this operation is concluded, the bolts 16 and 16 will be tightened up, so that the three knives will be held in firm, rigid relation. T/Vhile the operation of the several bolts 16 and 16 and setscrews 19 and 19 may bring the points of the knives 10 and 11 into solid abutment, the planes of the cutting edges thereof may be laterally separated, and to bring said cutting edges absolutely in coincidence, recourse must be had to the inner screws 14, which I have hereinbefore described, and which, as will be seen upon an inspection of Fig. 2, are located above the bolts 16 and 16 These screws 14 can be utilized. to tip the knives. 11 to bring their cutting edges in absolutely correct coincidence with that of the intermediate knife 10, so that the main cutter, made up of the intermediate knife 10 and the crozing and chamferingcutters 11, will present a continuous or unbroken cutting edge.

The operation just described will be repeated with the auxiliary knives 8, so that the cutting edges of said auxiliary knives 8 will be brought into absolutely solid and true relation with the main or compound cutter. To bring about the desired adjusted relation of the knives 8, the bolts 16 and 16 and setscrews 19 and 19 and set screws 14 may be operated exactly as I have described in detail in connection with the crozing and chamfering knives.

It will be understood from what I have hereinbefore stated, that the bolt cutting knives, and I also term them auxiliary knives 8, are carried upon the same bar which car- 'ries the main cutter 7. The knives 9 are carried by the bar 4, although they are directly sustained upon heads, as 20. The auxiliary knives 9 serve as bolt and stave trimming cutters, as will hereinafter appear. The heads 20 are clamped to the knife-bar 4, and for this purpose bolts 21 are illustrated; see for example Fig. 2. The shanks of the bolts extend through slots' 22 which are T-shaped in cross section; see for example Fig. 1. The opposite ends of the slots 22 are widened out, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, for the proper introduction of the bolts 21. As the heads IIO LII

of the bolts lit in the T slots, there is no possibility of the knife-heads 20 being upwardly displaced when the bolts are in the intermediate or narrow portions of the slots. The slots however provide for the adjustment of the knives 9 to adapt the same to the sizes of crozing and chamfering knives employed in the machine. It will be evident that by loosening the nuts of the bolts 21, a head 20 can be easily moved longitudinally of the bar 4. While I have shown the slots 22 as T-shaped, this structure is not necessary in practice, for the slots might extend entirely through the flange of the bar 4. In Fig. 11 I have shown such a modification, the slots being denoted, to distinguish them from the other slots, by 22*, and the bolts 21, which hold the head 20 to said bar 4 extend entirely through said slots 22.

From the bases of the knife-heads 20, the standards 23 rise, see for example Figs. 1 and 2, said standards being united by cross-bars,

as 24. The standards 23 are beveled on their inner edges so as to permit free passage between the standards to the chips or pieces of wood which are planed off the stock by the knives 9, by reason of which I assure absolutely that these chips will get past the head. What might be considered the outer or forward faces of the cross-bars 24: are beveled, as at 25, the beveled surfaces merging into the outer flat faces of the respective knives 9. At this point it might be stated that the knives 9 may be held to their heads 20 in any desirable way, for example by means of screws, this being the customary manner of obtainin this result.

lVith the old style shimming knives, they have a double office to perform, namely, the shimming or planing off of the big lug or rib left on the end of the stave bolt, and also the little rib or elevation left on the back of the stave bolt by the chamferi'ng and crozing knives. The big lug or rib left on the end of the stave is sometimes two or three inches long and may have a heavy knot for the shimming knife to cut through, for which. reason a very heavy shimming knife having a very wide bevel and carried by a very heavy head, is requisite. Now as the intermediate knife 10 and the crozing and chainfering knives 11 cut on a given circle, say twenty inches, and as the cut made ,by the beveled shimming knives of the ordinary kind is against or in direct opposition to the cut made by the knives 10 and 1], it is obvious that thewider the bevel on the old style shimming knife, the more dillicult it is to get it so ground and set as to make a smooth out on the end of the bolt and also on the back of the stave. In fact, .it is found that this is a thing that is practically impossible of accomplishment by an operator inexperienced in handling such old type of machines. WVhen the wide bevel on the old style shimming knife is imperfectly ground and set, it either loads too much into the timber or stave bolt, in which case a jumping or chattering motion is given to the knife or stave bolt and consequently a very imperfeet end is given to the stave, or such old style shim'ming knife leads out from the timber, in which case the stave will be ruined, because of being cut too thin on its bottom edge.

In Fig. 7 I show diagrammatically the work performed by my new organization of cutting mechanism. The stave is formed or cut from the belt or stock by the main cutter 7, made up of the intermediate knife 10 and the crozing or chamfering knives placed at the opposite ends of the same. The main cutter however leaves, as will be clearly understood, certain end and lateral projections upon the stave, and it is the function of the cutters 8 and 9 to remove these ribs.

In Fig. 7 the numeral 30 represents the end projecting portion cut off by the bolt cutting knife 8 simultaneously with the operation of the main cutter 7, and 31 the little chip to be taken off by the knife 9. The numeral 32 represents the next end projecting portion to be taken off by the knife 8, while the numeral 33 represents the next chip to be taken off by the knife 9. From this it will be apparent that practically all of the heavy trimming work is done by the knife 8. In this connection it will be understood that l have only described the auxiliary knives 8 and 9 at one end of the machine. As the knife 8 has the same general form and is fastened to the machine similarly and cuts in it'lentically the same circle as the main cutter 7 ,it does its work easily and perfectly, and as the knife 9 has so much less work to do than the knife 8, the knife 9 can be made with the smallest kind of a bevel.

It is evident that by means of the shank 34 upon the knife 9, the projecting portion beyond the end of the stave and at the side there of is cut in two, the larger piece, denoted by 30, passing off to the outside of said. shank, and the smaller piece, denoted by 31, passing out between the standards or uprights 21 of the cutter head 20. The smaller piece passes between the standards, and by virtue of the beveled surface 25 hereinbcfore described, it is not possible for said small chip to be impeded or checked in its progress out of the machine.

From what has been hereinbefore stated, it is believed that it will be understood that the main cutter 7 forms on its operation a stave, or cuts, chanifers and crozes the stave, while the knives 8 and 9 located at the opposite ends of the main cutter, cut off certain pieces. The knives 8 operate concurrently with the main cutter and en t through the end of the bolt, in which event they might be i properly considered as bolt shimming cutters. Each knife 8, as will be assumed, presents a longitudinal portion having at its innor end a lateral portion, to make the necessary cut. The lateral portion alluded to serves the ofiice of the equalizing lip, present in the old style chamfering and crozing knives. Each knife 9 presents an intermedate V lip 35, outside of which is arranged the shank 34 and inside of which is the curved surface 36. The knives 9, it will be understood, operate after the knives 8.

From what has been stated it is believed that it will be understood that the cutting mechanism described involves a main cutter, bolt cutters operating simultaneously with the main cutter to cut off pieces of ma terial beyond the oppositeends of the stave and the opposite ends of the bolt, these pieces of material being subsequently cut through by bolt and stave trimming cutters. I adopt the last designation as applied to the knives 9 for the reason that said knives 9 out these projecting portions and also trim off the stave.

WVhile I prefer to have the chamfering and crozing knives 11 and bolt cutting knives S in separate sections or independent, as hereinbefore described, it is apparent that, as shoml in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, a cutter may be composed of a crozing and chamfering por tion 11 and a bolt cutting portion 8 integral with each other. I prefer however to make these portions separate in order to provide for adjustability, as hereinbefore out-lined.

In every stave cutting machine the main cutting knife has aperpendicular curvature on its face which varies with the different size machines, being regulated by the distance between the centers of the arms of the tumbler and the edge of said tumbler, against which edge said knife cuts. The curvature of the knife would, if continued, make a circle, and, as in different size machines, the curvature of course varies, the diameters producing the curvatures also vary. When in my claims, I mention a main cutter, and an auxiliary cutter at one or opposite ends of the main cutter, all of said knives or'cutters cutting in the same circle I mean that the curvature of said knives if continued would produce a given diameter, as for example, 20 inches, which is the diameter of the circle on the standard machines. It will, therefore, be understood that what is really meant by the expression in question'is that the auxiliary knives have the same perpendicular curvature as the main cutter. By virtue of the improved machine, the auxiliary knives at the ends of the main cutter cut concurrently with the latter, their edges being a continuation of or coincident with the edge of the main cutter. By virtue of this important feature, I am enabled to overcome the imperfect work accomplished by the old style machines, as hereinbefore alluded to at length.

I employ an auxiliary knife of a character, which absolutely does in a perfect way the heavy work of shimming off the large projecting portion 30 (see Fig. 7) in connection with a second cutting knife which does the light work of cutting off the little chip 31 (see Fig. 7), the second knife as 9 being carried upon a head 20 of a novel character. It is owing to the peculiar construction of this head 20 in connection with the shank 3-1 on the cutting knife 9 that I am enabled to employ a cutting knife, such as 8. The knife head 20 permits the two pieces (the piece 30 cut off by the knife Sand the piece 31 cut off by the knife 9) to pass out and clear themselves from the machine.

It is essential that in order to use a knife, such as 8, the shank 34 severs the piece 30 from piece 31, as indicated in Fig. 7. If these two pieces were not cut-away from each other, it would be impractical to use a knife, such as 8, cutting in the same circle with the main cutter. After the piece 30 is cut from the piece 31 it would be impossible for them to get out of the machine, unless the outer standard of the two standards 23 were beveled on its inner edge, as hereinbefore described. The piece 30 slides over the shank off to one side' of the beveled edge of the outer standard and the piece passes to the other side of said standard between the companion standard, it being understood that each head 20 has two standards 23, the inner edges of both being beveled, as hereinbefore set forth. WVithout the beveling mentioned it would not be possible for the pieces or chips to be properly disposed of.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

l. A stave cutting machine having a main cutter for cutting, crozing and chamfering a stave, and an auxiliary cutter for cutting the stub from the bolt at the end of said stave,

the cutting portion of said auxiliary cutter being in substantially the same plane as the cutting portion of the main cutter.

2. A stave cutting machine having a main cutter for cutting, crozing and chamfering a stave, and an auxiliary cutter at one end of said main cutter for cutting the stub from the bolt at the end of said stave, the cutting portion of said auxiliary cutter being in substantially the same plane as the cutting portion of the main cutter.

3. A stave cutting machine having a main cutter for cutting, crozing and chamfering a stave, and an auxiliary cutter at one end of said main cutter for cutting the stub from the bolt at the end of said stave, the cutting portion of said auxiliary cutter being in substantially the same plane as the cutting portion of the main cutter, combined with a third cutter to cut through the bolt beyond the stave and to also trim off said stave.

4. A stave cutting machine having a main cutter for cutting, crozing and chamifering a stave, a bolt cutter to operate upon the bolt beyond one end of the main cutter, a bolt and stave trimming cutter to cut the bolt after the operation of said bolt cutter and to also trim off the stave, said bolt cutter and said bolt and stave trimming cutter being adapted to cut the stock in two separate pieces, and a standard for carrying said bolt and stave trimming cutter, having a beveled edge lo cated in cooperative relation with the cutters to permit the two pieces to pass out of the machine at opposite sides thereof.

5. A stave cutting machine having a main cutter for cutting, crozing and cham'fering a stave, bolt cutters situated at opposite ends of the main cutter, bolt and stave trimming cutters operative after the bolt cutter, the bolt cutter and the bolt and stave trimming cutter being adapted to cut the stock beyond the opposite ends of the stave and the bolt and stave trimming cutters serving to trim the stave, and standards carrying the bolt and stave trimming cutters, each standard having two upright portions, the inner edges of which are beveled, and said upright portions being located for the passage therebetween of one piece of stock, the other piece of stock being adapted to pass to the outer side of each outer projecting portion, when said pieces are separated by the bolt cutters and by the bolt and stave trimming cutters.

6. A stave cutting machine having a main cutter for cutting, crozing and cham'fering a stave, a bolt cutter to operate at one end of the main cutter having a portion extending longitudinally of the main cutter and an out- Wardly extending portion at the inner end of said longitudinally extending portion, and a bolt and stave trimming cutter having a V lip and two angular portions at opposite sides of the lip, one angular portion serving with the bolt cutter to cut through the stock beyond one end of the stave, and the other angularportion serving to trim the stave.

7. In a stave cutting machine, a knife bar having apertures near its opposite ends, a main cutter supported by the knife bar and composed of a main portion and crozing and chamfering knives, the crozing and chamfering knives being located in said apertures and having vertical slots, the knife bar hav ing horizontal slots opening into said apertures, bolts extending through the several slots to connect the crozing and chamfering knives with the knife bar for adjustment longitudinally thereof, bolt-stub cutters having vertical slots, also located in said apertures, and bolts extending through the last-mentioned vertical slots and also through said horizontal slots to permit of adjustment of the bolt cutters longitudinally of said knife bar.

S. In a stave cutting mach ne, a knife bar having apertures near its opposite ends, a main cutter supported by the knife bar and composed of a main portion and crozing and chamfering knives, the crozing and chamfering knives being located in said apertures and having vertical slots, the knife bar having horizontal slots openinginto said apertures, bolts extending through the several slots to connect the crozing and chamfering knives with the knife bar for adjustment longitudinally thereof, bolt cutters having vertical slots, also located in said apertures, and bolts extending through the lastmentioned vertical slots and also through said horizontal slots to permit of adjustment of the bolt cutters longitudinally of said knife bar, and bolt and stave trimming cutters supported independent of said knife bar and for longitudinal adjustment relatively to said knife bar. 9. In a stave cutting machine, a knife bar having apertures to adjustably receive chamfering and crozing and bolt-stub cutting knives and also having longitudinal slots opening into the respective apertures.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- IIGSSQS.

LUTHER L. FRIERSON. WVitnesses:

WV. '1. BROOKS, Jon DUNN. 

